The Season of Rambutan, by Titie Said

 

[Note: rambutan is a type of fruit that grows on large trees with low-hanging branches. It grows all over Western Indonesia and is brilliantly colored in green, yellow, orange, and deep red. The outer skin is tough and covered with long colorful strands -- rambut, or "hair" -- while the inside is tender, pale and slightly sweet. People eagerly await the rambutan season each year.]

She pulled the curtain aside again and opened the clear glass window, observing a large group of young schoolchildren scampering around at the end of the road, while grabbing and picking rambutan fruits which were hanging on the lowest branches. She well remembered that rambutan, which had been planted ten years before, and every season it drew all the young children. She was happy to see them.

A young boy leaped up the trunk of the rambutan tree, dropping fruits left and right. Other children ran to grab them. When he came back down he handed a single ripe, red rambutan to a sweet-looking young girl.

Suddenly she remembered the period of her own youth, and as if in a daydream she slowly murmured, "My youth was never like that of these young children. My town was not very big at the time, causing the residents to know every single other resident as well as they knew themselves. Every little occurrence became a huge deal to them, never to be forgotten. And even I myself became the topic of endless discussion. Rarely would the mothers allow their children to play with me, even more so once I had become a little bit more grown up, they forbade their sons to approach me altogether. Imagine how saddening it was to see all the other young girls being thrilled to receive love letters. What smarted the most was hearing someone say to his friend, 'Oh, this is Sulinah's kid? Isn't it odd that she doesn't resemble her mother? Hm, who knows about later...?' I know from Grandma -- the only person who loved me after Mother died -- that Sulinah -- that's my mother -- had already murdered three husbands. They called Mother a 'marriage specialist' and seducer of men. And I too fell victim to the results of her actions -- ostracized.

Indeed, if I pay attention to Mother's portrait -- I don't resemble her in the least. According to Grandma, Mother was once the flower of this town. And many many married men were crazy about her. Oddly, she went with them. Often I used to dissolve in tears, just from looking at my own features. I only got her arching eyebrows. And those eyebrows never once influenced my face with its short stubby nose and broad lips. Sometimes I hated my own face and my dark skin. Grandma says the skin was from Father!

Because of that, it was no surprise that even without the warnings of their mothers, there wasn't a single man who approached me, or wanted to be with me. Adding to that my low sense of self... I became distanced from the games of teenagers.

Only Grandma alone always loved me. I learned how to succeed in business from her, and because I had nothing to do but work, I buried myself in the field of business. Eventually I was more successful than Grandma, and our business efforts surged ahead.

Grandma didn't want to utilize the profits from my business. And I was ordered to buy gold or other jewelry, whenever there was extra money. It turned out that little by little, all the jewelry needs for a woman were fulfilled. One day a was trying on a pair of diamond earrings which had just been offered to me by a neighbor woman, because she'd needed money. Facing the mirror, I tried to sway and shift my body a little. Suddenly Grandma grabbed me from behind.

'Very nice, Mini. Very nice. You don't yet have earrings like that . Did you make an offer?'

'Yes, Gram. Maybe it'll be accepted... the person really needs the money.'

'You're sweet-looking, Mini, wearing those earrings.'

I giggled a little. Other than Grandma, indeed there had never been a single person who had said that I was sweet! And while drawing a deep breath, Grandma continued.

'Earlier today I bought a couple of pieces of sidomukti cloth.'

'Why two, Gram?'

'Oh, they're for when we'll need them, child. For example, should you want to marry later.'

'Ah, with whom, Gram?'

"'Eh, little one. Your time will come, Mini. Don't worry. Grandma always prays for you. The time for Grandma's grandchild not come? Not a chance.'

I knew that Grandma, and really I myself, always prepared for a wedding for me. For example buying black velvet for a full-length dress and brocade for a short kebaya [traditional blouse]. Fine batiks, as well. But for as strong as Grandma's hope for seeing her only grandchild married, I felt just as strongly that my chances were becoming increasingly slim, not to mention the fact that I seemed to be aging rapidly. Yes, more rapidly all the time!

In order to spend time, I increased my workload. Any kind of business that could be turned into money, I took responsibility for it myself. From buying and selling soy beans to selling goats, and batik, and well, the main thing is I traded in anything and everything. Grandma just watched me with a downcast face.

'Mini, you're working way too hard, child. Why do you have to go out by yourself? It just isn't appropriate for a woman. Even more so if you have to go outside of town to find business.'

'The profits are way better, Gram, if I work on it all myself.'

'But it just isn't appropriate for you to get on trains all alone, carrying goods.'

'But I enjoy seeing other towns, Gram. Besides, the prices are cheaper elsewhere.'

'Why do you have to do so much, Mini? When someone works, child, once they've got their basic needs answered then they should just be thankful. Your business in town is already just fine. Why do you have to ruin your health and good looks like this? You should be thinking about yourself.'

'That's exactly why I do this, Gram.'

'What?'

'My capabilities are still strong, Gram. Once I'm older, later, who is going to support me? Others can depend on husbands and children, but us, Gram? If I don't collect money now, what happens later?'

After saying that, I began to cry without being aware of it. Grandma too. We felt just awful, and thought angrily about Mother. Ah, if only this town had been bigger, and people could just have paid attention to their own matters, I would never have been so ostracized from the men here."

She looked out of the curtain again. There were still plenty of children; in fact their numbers had increased. Several teenagers were pairing off here and there. It was so sweet to watch them. From the end of the road came a husband and wife couple, walking very close to each other. They hadn't even been married a month, and the young wife who had just graduated from high school was looking pretty spoiled.

She closed the curtain, blinking her eyes a few times, and continued. "Once I was as happy as they were. At that time I had just paid for a large bunch of eggs in another town. I remember well, it was rambutan season, and I was carrying a small load of them to bring home as a gift. And a young man approached me, helping me to lift the rambutan. Oh, not in my entire life had I ever been treated so kindly! And on the train trip home I felt as if I had been transported to another world, living with an old friend.

'I already have known you for awhile. But I haven't been brave enough to approach you. You look very busy, Mini. Your house is near the district chief, isn't it?'

'How did you know?' I asked with pounding heart.

'I was just saying, I've known about you for a long time. It's just you and your grandmother, isn't it?'

'Yes.' And suddenly I worried that he had heard about Mother, and knew of my subsequent downfall. But... he spoke with a very enjoyable tone in his voice.

'May I escort you later, Mini? Your grandmother wouldn't be angry, would she? I would really like to get to know you, Mini.'

And so it was that we got to know each other. It had only been three days, yet it felt as if we'd known each other forever. We were that comfortable with each other! And on the fourth day, he spoke,

'Mini, next month I'm going to be sent abroad. Now my feelings are different, Mini. I want to invite you (here he spoke very slowly, almost too quiet to be heard). I want to invite you to come with me to Singapore, Tokyo, and then three years in America! I'm afraid you won't want to marry me, because we've only known each other such a short time. And I'm concerned about your grandmother. But, if you wish, I can approach your grandmother. If you love me, Mini, and want... oh, do you want me or not? You are so beautiful, Mini, I've looked for someone like you for a long time.'

I couldn't answer, because of my overwhelming joy. How stunning! Here was a handsome young man who wanted to marry me! To marry me! It would be the talk of the town, that Sulinah's child Mini was going to be married and taken abroad. There hadn't yet been a person from that village who had gone outside of Java. Other than myself, later, of course.

'Mini, we have to get married as soon as possible. I've got a lot of matters to deal with. But I don't have anything. Your fiancé is rather poor, compared to you, and I don't have anything prepared to offer you at the wedding. Mini...'

His face was really downcast as he spoke these words. And I said that I wasn't crazy about material goods, and that we could hold a wedding without any of his money. As for the needs of Permadi -- my fiancé -- I would take care of everything.

When I mentioned all of this to Grandma, her face became very sad. For a minute she collected her thoughts, sighed, and said,

'You're in too much of a hurry. You haven't told him what happened.'

'But he doesn't know who my mother is!'

'Mini! Why are you speaking like that, child? I can see from the way he looks that he isn't a good person.'

'Oh, you're just guessing about that. He's terrific, Gram! Really great.'

'You barely know him. I want to see you married, but, ah...'

'But what, Gram? Gram, from your heart would you forbid me to marry?'

'He's too young for you, Mini.'

'But he wants me, Gram. It's just his age that's young, but his thoughts are already far advanced.'

And with that Grandma gave in. I handled all the wedding preparations myself. My customers all helped me. I wanted to hire a wayang kulit troupe, but Permadi didn't want it. He said it would be too exhausting, too much trouble. In addition to my own jewelry I rented a wedding outfit all decked out with gold and sparkling stones. I really wanted to look as beautiful and dazzling as possible for our wedding night.

The wedding went beautifully and was so satisfying. Grandma cried with joy. I felt incredibly exhausted from having arranged the wedding for days and days. And then we entered the wedding chamber which I had decorated to look beautiful. I placed one leg on the bed, and my husband said that I was extremely beautiful this evening. I told me to gather all my jewels together in one box and to store them in the wardrobe [a standing closet]. Afraid they might disappear, he said. Then when he suggested that I take a pill to get my strength back, I obeyed happily.

I don't remember exactly what happened, but I started to feel really sleepy. Permadi was still chatting with some elderly folks outside.

The next morning I woke up rather late. My husband had apparently long since gotten up. And when I went out, they all teased me, and asked if Permadi had gotten up yet. I was shocked, and went to look for him.

Ah, since then I've never discovered whatever happened to him. Together with the disappearance of Permadi, so too went all my jewelry! All of that and the rented things, too.

Since then as well, Grandma has increasingly secreted herself in her room. She is so very ashamed. People in my town spoke of it every day. I myself had to work harder than ever to replace all the things that were stolen and pay for the rented things. Life was really hard for awhile."

For the third time she peeked out of the window. Outside it was already quiet. Rambutan skins were strewn all over the place, slowly being swept up by an elderly groundskeeper. A becak [pedicab] passed by, its small bell ringing. And on that wrinkled face, she smiled and spoke to herself.

"For several years after, my profits soared. My business leaped forward, and I no longer needed to work myself. I established a business office, and had many employees. This town is no longer like it was before. People are all busy, and don't mess with other people's matters. What's more, people have already forgotten all about my little story. I am happy remaining in this town, which has become so developed. The people are good, and the older people are still amazed that the child of Sulinah -- the 'husband seducer' -- remained such a loyal wife, waiting for her husband. Indeed I'm always still waiting for the arrival of Permadi -- my husband who to this day never yet laid a finger on me!"

Now this woman opened the window. She truly felt that this town of her birth was very different now from the way it was before. She had built her own two-story house -- built with her business profits. Other buildings as well. And she recalled that before her grandmother had died, she always said: To what end did you gather all that money, Mini? You were born in this town, why don't you give something back to it?

Abruptly she heard the voice of a young child calling. She had adopted five children, and three she had already married off. She had become a person of rank. "Mother," he said. "Are you going off to a meeting?"

Swiftly she scooped the child up in her arms. She kissed those little cheeks that were like ripe tomatoes. And she said slowly, "Lucky you reminded me, child. Everything's fine at home. Mom has been asked to discuss the development of a brand-new hospital...

Sastra no.3 vol.1, July 1961

Translated by Sean Williams